Gotye proves he's more than a one-hit wonder

Gotye performs Monday at Red Hat Amphitheater in downtown Raleigh.

Scott Muthersbaugh / Times-News

By Reviewed by Scott Muthersbaugh / Times-News

Published: Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 03:07 AM.

RALEIGH — If the only Gotye song that you are familiar with is “Somebody That You Used to Know,” you are doing yourself a disservice. While the summer hit has been his ticket to international recognition, the Australian native has much more to offer. He brought his profound talents to the Red Hat Amphitheater, formerly known as the Raleigh Amphitheater, in downtown Raleigh Monday night. Born Wally De Backer, Gotye recorded the majority of his current album, “Making Mirrors,” by himself in a barn on his parents’ property. One might imagine that an artist who sequestered themselves might not have much of a stage presence, but Gotye electrified the performance. Both he and his other band members seemed to genuinely enjoy making music together as De Backer moved between instruments and mixing equipment on the stage. He is comfortable at the microphone or in front of a piano, but it is easy to see that his first love is still the drums. Several solos peppered the performance that showcased his significant rhythmic talent. Excitingly enough, the predominant demographic of Monday night’s crowd skewed toward the twenty-to thirty-somethings, which is ultimately the target audience for the majority of Gotye’s music. With a song in the Top 40, I was nervous that the teeny-bopper crowd might invade and wait around for the one tune that they recognize. However, even the few folks who looked like they made a wrong turn on the way to a Justin Bieber concert knew the words to a handful of songs. If you want to explore more of Gotye’s work, check out the songs “Save Me,” “In Your Light” and “State of the Art.”

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RALEIGH — If the only Gotye song that you are familiar with is “Somebody That You Used to Know,” you are doing yourself a disservice.
While the summer hit has been his ticket to international recognition, the Australian native has much more to offer. He brought his profound talents to the Red Hat Amphitheater, formerly known as the Raleigh Amphitheater, in downtown Raleigh Monday night.
Born Wally De Backer, Gotye recorded the majority of his current album, “Making Mirrors,” by himself in a barn on his parents’ property. One might imagine that an artist who sequestered themselves might not have much of a stage presence, but Gotye electrified the performance.
Both he and his other band members seemed to genuinely enjoy making music together as De Backer moved between instruments and mixing equipment on the stage. He is comfortable at the microphone or in front of a piano, but it is easy to see that his first love is still the drums. Several solos peppered the performance that showcased his significant rhythmic talent.
Excitingly enough, the predominant demographic of Monday night’s crowd skewed toward the twenty-to thirty-somethings, which is ultimately the target audience for the majority of Gotye’s music. With a song in the Top 40, I was nervous that the teeny-bopper crowd might invade and wait around for the one tune that they recognize.
However, even the few folks who looked like they made a wrong turn on the way to a Justin Bieber concert knew the words to a handful of songs.
If you want to explore more of Gotye’s work, check out the songs “Save Me,” “In Your Light” and “State of the Art.”